Mizdi's Travel Log » Amsterdam

Inside the Amsterdam Palace

mizdi — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:30:47 +0000

Does the Dutch Queen Live in Amsterdam Palace?

No. The Queen of the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix, lives in a royal residence called Huis ten Bosch Palace, located in the northeastern part of the Dutch city of Den Haag (The Hague). Her main offices are also located in Den Haag, at Noordeinde Palace.

Brief History of Amsterdam Palace

The Koninklijk Paleis, or Royal Palace of Amsterdam was originally built as a town hall for Amsterdam’s administrative and judicial authorities. In 1648 the burgemeesters (mayors) and magistrates of Amsterdam commissioned the famous architect Jacob van Campen to design their new building.

The Burgomeesters and Jacob van Campen

With the signing of the Treaty of Munster in 1648, the new town hall was envisioned to be a monument to peace that had returned to Amsterdam after an 80-year war against Spain.

From Town Hall to Royal Palace

The building served as the city hall for some 150 years. In 1806 Louis Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon’s brother, became King of Holland. He first lived in The Hague, but in 1807 he moved to Amsterdam, which was of greater economic importance. In 1808, he took the city hall on Dam Square as his Royal Palace

Loius Napoleon and King Willem I

After the fall of Napoleon in 1813, Prince Willem of Orange, later King Willem I, returned the palace to the city of Amsterdam. After his investiture, however, the new King realized the importance of having a home in the capital and asked the city authorities to make the palace available for royal use once again. It was not until 1936 that the building became state property.

The Citizens’ Hall

This is the heart of the town hall. It served as a meeting place for the public. It is 90 feet high, 120 feet long and 60 feet wide. Here a visitor would literally have the world on his feet as the eastern and western hemispheres are depicted on opposite sides of the floor with the map of the northern sky in the center, in marble inlay.

The Citizen's Hall graced with the sculpture of Atlas by Artus Quellinius. It was mounted 1663.

Above the entrance, on the east side of the Citizen’s Hall across Atlas’ sculpture is the Personification of Amsterdam beneath the sculpture of Peace. Her attributes, sprigs of olive and palm, symbolize peace and prosperity. The two women seated beside her signify wisdom and strength.

Maid of Amsterdam

The Tribunal

The tribunal presided over by the magistrates and sheriff was used solely for pronouncing the death sentence. The hearings were held elsewhere and the room was purely ceremonial. The municipal secretary occupied the alcove where on the backrest of his desk was an allegory of death, represented by a skull and three weeping children.

The Tribunal

The magistrates would be seating here in front of four marble carvings standing on colums with three scenes of metaphors of justice. These female figures were emblems of guilt and remorse in both Greek and Roman traditions.

The West Wall

The burgomasters would watch the proceedings from their chamber overlooking the tribunal and would them confirm the sentence.

Burgomasters' Chamber window

The Burgomasters’ Chamber

The window where the burgomasters used to watched the proceedings at the Tribunal below them, is nowadays, fitted with glass.

The Burgomasters' Chamber

The Magistrates’ Chamber

This is where the sheriff and magistrates held office and proclaimed new laws. The overmantel painting is by Jurriaan Ovens depicting Justice seated in between two tormented souls that personify Greed and Envy.

The Magistrates' Chamber

The opposite end of the Magistrates’ Chamber. The painting Moses Descending from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments of Rembrandt’s pupil Ferdinand Bol hangs over the enormous fireplace. This room later became The Throne Room.

The Throne Room

The Council’s Chamber

The lavishly decorated Council’s Chamber is where the thirty-six councillors convene on an ad hoc basis, the meetings being chaired by the burgomasters. The painting on the left is by Jan van Bronchorst showing Jethro advising Moses to elect a council of seventy leaders to help him lead the people of Israel into the wilderness. The painting Solomon Prays for Wisdom by Govaert Flinck hangs above the fireplace in the north wall of the Council’s Chamber.

The Council's Chamber

Details of the painting Moses by Jan van Bronchorst.

Moses and Jethro and the Istraelites

Close-up view of Solomon Prays for Wisdom.

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

The Bankruptcy Chamber

The Bankruptcy Chamber was founded in 1643 to wind up insolvent estates. Its commissioners mediated between debtors and creditors and tried to help them reach an agreement. This was one of the services the city provided for the business sector.

Bankruptcy Chamber

Empire in the Palace

T he palace was decorated and furnished in the style of the time, called Empire because this style was the fashion at the time of the emperorship of Napoleon Bonaparte. The decorating and furnishing of an Empire interior was also of architectural character. The furniture was placed as much as possible, symmetrically against the walls of a room and symmetry also determined the design of the ornaments.

Chamber of Accounts

The Oath of Horatii clock is found in every room of the palace of relative importance. For instance, this one in the Burgomasters’ Chamber. It is a copy in bronze, of the scene painted by Jacques-Louis David, his depiction of the three brothers swearing to defend Rome together.

de eed de Horatiers

This round table was made by Carel Breytspraak. The mahogany leg of this table was described at that time as being ‘en forme d’autel’ (altar shaped) because the shape of this three-sided leg with its concave lines, was based upon a Roman altar.

The Table by Carel Breytspraak

Empire furniture has sober lines and gives massive impression with its balanced structure and harmonious proportions of components. The armchairs and sofa on the Queen’s sitting room clearly illustrate this architectural principle.

The Queen's Sitting Room

Most of the furniture of the palace’s main floor was made of mahogany including the most typical piece of Empire furniture which is the console table. Here in the dining room and in almost every room can be seen these console tables placed against the wall, the top of which are made of marble.

The Dining Room

The Amsterdam Palace Today

The city fathers commissioned a building that would be both functional and impressive, as splendid as any of its predecessors in ancient Greece and Rome. The building that Van Campen had in mind would not only be impressive, it was a majestic example of classical architecture and superb craftsmanship.

Amsterdam Palace op de Dam

At present the Royal Palace is used for State Visits, the Queen’s New Year receptions and other official functions, including the annual presentation of the Erasmus Prize, the Silver Carnation, the Royal Awards for Painting, and the Prince Claus Prize. When not in use by the Queen or members of the Royal House, the palace is open to the public under the auspices of the Amsterdam Royal Palace Foundation.

References:

The Palace of Amstedam by Eymert-Jan Goossens
The Koninklijk Paleis Official Website
Empire in het Paleis
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How to Survive Biking in Amsterdam

mizdi — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:51:23 +0000

“When in Holland… Do as the Dutch do… Bike.”

Holland is a flat land (if you look past its horizon, you can see Japan).

Utrecht countryside

That makes it ideal to navigate by bike. Aside from that, the Dutch government had encouraged more the use of bicycles through policies they had implemented over the past 30 years, to make it more attractive and safe for bikers. See them here.

grote oost bridge

If you plan to live in Amsterdam for longer than a few weeks, buy a bike. A second hand bike is more sensible than a brand new one and you can get them from as low as 50 euros to 250 euros. But don’t forget to buy a reliable lock, for your bike’s sake. There are a lot of second hand bike stores around Amsterdam and there should be one close by any train station in the other cities or provinces.
Biking around Amsterdam and even in the whole of the Netherlands, is the best way way to go to see the city and the scenic countryside.

Rijks museum gardens

Traveling local or long distance, you could always take your bike with you. Bikes are allowed on the Metro (subway trains) for free. They had allocated a part of the metro for commuters with bikes. So people who need to cover long distances, usually take their bikes with them on the Metro, get off and ride their bikes again to wherever they are going and vice versa. That saves time, money and energy.

Ganzenhoef metro platform

Bikes are free to take on ferryboats crossing the dividing canal between North and South Amsterdam.

Ferrying across North Amsterdam

They are also allowed on trains. There are special compartments set aside for this purpose. Although not free, a bike ticket is cheaper than a passenger’s ticket and is good for a whole day. However, if you are carrying a folding bike, it is not necessary because folding bikes rides are free.

How to load bike on a train

If you need to bike to the stations but do not wish to bring your bike with you on the train or Metro, free parking spots are everywhere. Or if you choose, avail of the paid parking service on the train stations just to be reassured your bike would be there when you get back. These “fietsenstalling” as they call it charges on average a minimal 1.20 euros a day, 5 euros a week or 12 euros a month.

Difference between a free parking and a paid parking

If you mean to cycle all the way and leisurely meander through the countryside and suburbs, that wouldn’t be a problem. Every town or village has a cycle path called a “fietspad”‘ which links one to the other. This is true in the whole of Netherlands. In fact you can even cycle to Belguim or Germany if you want as Holland is covered with an extensive network of long distance cycle routes.

Fietspad along the countryside

With all the necessities all in place to support bikers, there is no reason why a foreigner living in Holland could not do as the Dutch do… Bike.

what people do in Amsterdam

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Cannabis or Tulips in Cans …Your choice

mizdi — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:56:08 +0000

Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt: What to find

Amsterdam Flower Market is a must for tourists hunting for souvenirs or gift items to bring back home. Prices are reasonable and there is a whole variety of souvenir wares to choose from.

Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt

For starters, wooden tulips…so you’ll have them all year round with little caring required.

wooden tulips

Dutch wooden shoes… they come in one shape and different sizes, varied designs and colors, too. Wear at your own risk.

for mom and dad

for grandma and grandpa

for brother and sister

for baby

Amsterdam ceramic houses… you can fill a whole wall and still lack something in your collection.

dutch houses

Refrigerator magnets masquerading as tulips, wooden shoes, and windmills.

tulips and wooden shoes refrigerator magnets

windmills ref magnets

Canned tulips… they are best planted than drank. (what will they think of next?)

canned tulips

tulips in cans

Canned cannabis… plant first, before you smoke. These are skunk seeds, which means you have only three to four months of waiting before you can smoke your first joint. That is, if you can grow them …which is very much unlikely. Great souvenir to take back home, if it won’t send you to jail. To be safe… just take a souvenir photo, it is always allowed.

marijuana in cans

Cannabis Starter Kit… too cheap, won’t work… (just saying). Same as the cannabis in cans .

marijuana starter kit

Delftware… mostly immitation items of the famous “Royal Delft” handpainted pottery made in Delft, Holland.

delftware ceramics

delft blue ware

Cacti for gifting purposes, dried flowers for decorations, flower bulbs for your home gardens.

baby cacti

dried flowers hanging on d ceiling

amaryllis bulbs and flowers

calla, nacissus, begonias, lilies etc.

tulips bulbs

and Ewoks … I don’t know what they are for but they are cute anyway.

ewoks

And yes… they also sell fresh flowers…lots of them.

assorted cut flowers

fresh roses and daisies

orchids in pots

hanging orchids and plants

and of course tulips, the trademark of Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt

fresh tulips

Where to Find Amsterdam Flower Market

Situated along the Singel Canal, the whole length of a block. It is sometimes called the Floating Flower Market of Amsterdam which is a misnomer because in reality it isn’t. See… the stalls are fixed along the sides of the canal. The only thing is the foundations are built on the water but they don’t float, they are just there.

rear view bloemenmarkt

Have a leisurely walk from the Central Station to the direction of Dam Square, there’s a lot to see along the way especially if you trek along the centrum where the shops are.

amsterdam centrum

or get off at Spui (two stops from the Central Station) if you decide to take the tram instead (trams 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 14, 16, 24 and 25) and walk a few meters from there.

het Spui

Goodluck!

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Amsterdam Stinks

mizdi — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:06:43 +0000

“On a human level, the garbage man is just as important as the teacher or a rock star or a president, because you have to have them. The world would have been dead a long time ago without garbage men.” ~ Herbie Hancock

This is not the best time to visit Amsterdam. Piles of uncollected garbage are everywhere because the garbage collectors and the street cleaners are on strike for more than a month now.

Leidsegracht

Prinsengracht

When the strike took longer than expected and the piles of garbage became an eyesore and started to smell, the city council advised the people “not to throw out too much garbage“ (huh?). They even went to the extent of covering or fencing off garbage bins to refrain the residents from throwing out more garbage.

Rembrandtplein

Kalvestraat

Noordestraat

But that only aggravated the problem. Now people are throwing out their garbage including their self-discipline, anywhere.

Leidseplein

It started at the Central Train Station when the station cleaners went on a boycott. A few weeks after, even before an agreement was reached, they were joined by the garbage collectors and street cleaners outside, affecting the whole of Amsterdam area.

Waterlooplein

Muntplein

Koningsplein

Keizergracht

The Dutch called them the “bin men”. A bin man gets a salary between Ã¢â€šÂ¬1,350 to Ã¢â€šÂ¬1,550 a month. They are requesting a net pay increase of 37 to 44 euros a month, a measly 24 cents an hour. But they were offered a 1% bonus instead.

the bin man

Officials say there is still no danger to public health from the piles of rubbish in the streets due to the low temperatures (so they will wait til the temperature gets higher and an epidemic breaks out).

Spiegelgracht

Talks are on a standstill and so are the garbage.

Leidsewarsstraat

Meanwhile the whole of Amsterdam stinks.

Leidsekruisstraat

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Tulips Facts and Trivia

mizdi — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:50:34 +0000

Amazing Facts About Tulips That You May Not Know

Tulip fields in Hoorn

1. The famous tulips of Holland are not from Holland.

Velvet Pink Tulips

2. Tulips originated from areas around the Black Sea in the Crimean Peninsula, and from some wide varieties that grew in Greece, Turkey, Afghanistan and Kashmir.

Tulipa Apricot Beauty

3. Tulip came from the turkish word “dulband” which is the origin of turban in English and is translated into Latin as “tulipa”.

Perennial White Tulips

4. The Turks named these flowers “tulipan” a corruption of the word “dulband” because of its resemblance in shape to the headwrap worn by them and other Middle East people.

Tulipa Ballerina

5. The Turks were the first to cultivate tulips in flower beds as early as 1529. It was introduced in the Netherlands only in 1554.

Tulipa Holladia and Dutch Miracle Tulip

6. By 1620 tulips had spread in popularity and was regarded as de rigueur for every palace garden in northern Europe.

Debonaire Pink Tulips

7. The Dutch went crazy about them… really crazy, some varieties could cost more than an Amsterdam house at that time. It was what was popularly known as the “Tulipmania”.

Emperor Tulips

8. The Tulipmania started in Holland, one day in the early 1630′s when a singly in existence Viceroy tulip bulb variety, changed hands.

Viceroy tulips

9. Its price was paid in kind and was as follows : four fat oxen, eight fat pigs, twelve fat sheep ( had to be fat… thin is unacceptable), four loads of rye, four barrels of eight-florin beer, two loads of wheat, two hogsheads of wine, two barrels of butter… one thousand pounds of cheese, a complete bed, a suit of clothes and a silver beaker. The lot valued at 2,500 florins.

Shirley Tulips

10. About the same time, one bulb of Semper Augustus variety which was very rare during those times ( only two horticulturists in Holland have them, one in Amsterdam and one in Haarlem ) was sold for twice that sum, plus a fine new carriage to go with it.

Semper Augustus

11. A second single bulb of the same variety was considered as a lavish dowry.

Semper Augustus

12. And a third was exchanged for a flourishing brewery (could be Heineken but yet have to research on that).

Semper Augustus

13. In the months of late 1636 to early 1637 there was a complete Tulipmania in the Netherlands.

Tattoo tulips

14. To have tulips in one’s home then, was as impressive as having a Ferrari in your garage today.

Flaming Parrot

15. Finally the tulips lost its high value as the market was saturated with thousands of varieties ( brought about by enterprising merchants who initiated the onslaught of tulip cultivation) and in the end it wasn’t as rare anymore and there came the “Tulip Crash”, the first economic bubble that burst.

Apeldoorn Tulips

16. After recovery, and over the years the Dutch continued to cultivate tulips and it became a part of their culture.

Cottony Pink Tulips

17. It has been crossbred continuously in time and now comes in countless colours and variations.

Black Knight Tulips

18. Nearly half of Holland’s 47,150 acres of flower bulb farms are planted with tulip bulbs and every year about three billion tulip bulbs are produced in Holland.

Tulipa Hollandia

19. One billion tulip bulbs are for domestic use, and approximately two billion are exported. The major export market is the United States, with nearly one billion bulbs a year. Most of these bulbs exported to the US end up with home gardeners.

Monte Flame Tulips

20. The rest are exported as far as Japan and to the outlying European neighbors of the Netherlands.

Carnaval de Rio Tulips

Today, tulips are synonymous with Holland which had become its symbol alongside with windmills and wooden shoes.

Snow white Tulips

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